Sleep
by csicowgirl22
Summary: Lacey ends ups spending the night at Danny's again, although things go a little differently. Dacey, Danny/Lacey... eeep! hope it's okay.


**Via request from an anon on tumblr. I give you….**

**Sleep.**

The party had gone as expected, it was going fine, celebrating the Green Grove Giant's win over a rival school, almost the whole school was at Archie's place, music was loud, drinking, a party to rule all parties.

And then Danny showed up, he hadn't shown up with Jo this time around, no, Danny dropped in on his own, his eyes scanned the packed room.

Everyone else just seemed to ignore him, which was nice, it had been over 2 months since he'd come back, and the police were still looking for a suspect, but for the most part, people just left him alone.

And then he spotted her, he made his way through the crowd toward her, she didn't have a drink in her hand, in fact she looked annoyed, and he saw what she was looking at; Archie. He was drunk and acting like an idiot with his team mates.

She rolled her eyes and turned and ran right into Danny, she was startled and looked to see who was standing right next to her, she seemed to think 'of course' when she saw it was him.

"You look like you're having fun" Danny pointed out while giving one of his charming smiles.

Lacey wasn't sure on how to reply, on the one hand, she'd sort of gotten closer with him, she was still hesitant to let him in completely, but she wasn't afraid of him, she didn't question his intentions.

"Yeah, I'm having a blast" she replied sarcastically.

Danny's face looked concerned suddenly, "you okay?" he asked, and his hand went to touch her arm, his thumb rubbing it gently.

"I'd rather not be here" she admitted, she was mad, but not at him, and now his hand was touching her and she was feeling something else.

"Do you want to go someplace quit to talk?" Danny asked, he had that hopeful look on his face.

She liked the sound of that, she needed to talk to someone, and she hadn't been able to do that for a while. She nodded a yes.

Danny's hand left her arm, and settled on her back to help lead her through the crowd, she let him.

They started to make their way through the crowd, when.

"What do you think you're doing?" Archie's voice rang through the party, and the music stopped. Everyone went silent.

Danny breathed out annoyed, he slowly turned around, there was Archie, he had stopped doing whatever it was he was doing and walked up to Danny.

Danny looked at him and then at the two large soccer players flanking him, Danny wasn't impressed though, "stepping outside to get some fresh air" Danny stated, he gave a quick smirk.

"You leave, but Lacey stays…" he poked Danny in the chest; hard.

Danny glanced down at the finger pocking him, hut he stayed calm, "I think Lacey can decide on her own with whether she'd like to go or not" his tone had gone from sarcastic to a warning tone.

Archie glared, and was about to say something, but Lacey cut in, she had been standing and watching, hoping it would resolve itself, but it did not, so she stepped in, "Archie, calm down, I can step outside with Danny if I want to" she stated.

Archie shook his head, "no, what happened? He brainwashing you to make you think he isn't the Socio?!" he shouted.

Danny really didn't care for the nicknames, he just stood there.

"Little freak… c'mon Lacey" Archie said while grasping her forearm, he went to pull her with him, she wouldn't budge.

"Archie you're drunk, stop it!" Lacey demanded, Archie glared and went to pull her again.

Danny moved in swiftly, he was between Archie and Lacey in a heartbeat, his hand held Archie's wrist in a vice grip.

"Let her go" Danny looked serious and dangerous.

Lacey was a little startled herself at them both, Archie did let go, she stepped back, Danny let go of Archie's wrist, he took a step back and Archie just stood there.

Everyone started to settle till Danny glanced back at Lacey to check on her, the shocked look on her face made him look back and in time to have Archie's fist connect with his face.

There was a collective gasp and shock in the room as Danny stumbled back and onto the floor.

Lacey darted over as Danny sat up a little, he touched his nose and his nose, a little blood, Danny saw red and his anger, his temper started to bubble to the surface.

"Damn it Archie!" Lacey shouted as Danny started to stand up.

He looked at Archie who seemed pleased; this only made Danny more upset.

Danny huffed and looked around, everyone was looking at him, Danny realized no one would be on his side at this place and then Lacey' s hand touched his side, and he looked at her, remembered she was there.

She was glaring at Archie, but she turned back to Danny, "are you okay?" she asked looking really concerned.

Danny's temper evened out and he nodded his head, "yeah, but I think I should go" he said before glancing back at Archie one last time, he turned and left.

"You better leave, you little freak!" Archie shouted, this got a laugh from some of the people at the party.

Lacey shook her head and then followed Danny out, Archie stopped laughing after that.

Danny was on the driveway walking toward the street, when Lacey darted up, "Danny, wait" she said.

Danny spun around and looked at her a little surprised, and then Lacey stepped closer, he was puzzled and then she pulled a tissue from her purse, she reached and tried to dab the blood from his nose.

The music at the party started up again, "are you sure you're okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, he doesn't hit that hard when he's intoxicated" Danny commented.

Lacey nodded, "thank goodness, let me give you a ride home" she said before walking toward where she parked her car.

"I can walk Lacey" Danny said, it wasn't that he wanted to walk, he just didn't want to come across as needing to reply on her for a ride everywhere.

She ignored him and kept on walking, and then the sky's opened up and it started to rain.

Danny looked up as raindrops fell on him, he quickly went after Lacey.

The car ride was mostly silent, Danny was watching the scenery go by, even if it was pitch black outside, Lacey was focused on driving in the hard rain.

Danny looked over at her, she seemed tense and mad, he was thinking, "I'm sorry."

Lacey was a little startled when he spoke, and then she realized what he had said, "sorry about what?" she asked, she glanced over.

"About what happened with Archie, I didn't come to the party to do that" he wanted to make sure she knew that.

"I didn't think you did" she stated, eyes on the road.

"But you're mad at me" he pointed out, he'd get her to talk to him.

"Oddly enough, I'm not mad at you, I'm just upset… everything is unraveling" she said as she pulled to a stop.

Danny kept his eyes on her, he never looked away when talking with her, "and you blame me" he said, he seemed slightly hurt.

She hesitated, "what's happening between me and Archie has been a long time coming, even before you came back… "she whispered it, she was looking down, and looked up to find he was still watching her, eyes locked.

Danny leaned in further, "I want us to be close again" Danny whispered, "but I don't want you think you have to choose" he added.

He was waiting for her to reply, she was looking at him, his eyes dropped to her lips, and then went back to eyes, she felt nervous and sat back, "we're here" she said.

Danny leaned back, he looked out at his house, "want come in… again?" he asked before glancing back at her.

"I'd better get back home" she said, she was getting ready to start the car, the wind and rain seemed to get more fierce, more intense.

"To be honest, I'd rather you come inside then drive home alone in this weather" Danny pointed out, he looked at her and she seemed to be agreeing with him.

"And just till the rain lets up" he added, trying to get her on his side.

But then he saw her rethink it, and as if the weather was trying to help him out, a large tree branch fell on the hood of her car, starling them both, only she let out a yelp.

Danny looked at her, and she was gathering her purse, he exited the car before her.

The house was dark and cold, she looked around as he closed and locked the door, and they'd gotten a little wet on the quick run over to the house.

As if he knew what she was thinking, "my mom is in New York" he mentioned before taking his jacket off and hanging it on the coat rack by the door.

Lacey nodded and shivered a little, Danny was next to her in moment, "I'll go turn on the heat" he said, he seemed calm, but happy.

Lacey nodded, and sort of followed him through the house toward the kitchen.

And then the house went dark. Everything got dead quiet; the sound of rain and wind hitting the house was even louder.

She was stunned, and frozen.

She felt a hand on her back and it stayed there, he looked out the window, "the whole neighborhood is dark" he uttered, he turned back to her, his hand still on her.

"a tree must have gone down" he stated, he was standing close, and at the moment she couldn't see his face, but felt his breath on her face, it smelled like mint.

she jumped from when her phone suddenly vibrated, she felt embarrassed for getting spooked so easily, she stepped away from Danny and looked at her phone, it was Archie, she answered it as that light lit up their faces, Danny was watching her stoic and calm as always.

"Hello?" she asked into the phone, "no I'm home now" she let the lie slip through her lips, she wasn't sure why she was staring at Danny as she talked to Archie.

"Oh that's terrible... good thing I got home when I did" she said.

She shook her head, "no I don't need you to come over… I'm fine" she said, "yeah… talk to you tomorrow" she whispered.

Danny was still standing there, his even breathing calmed her tense nerves, he didn't ask, but she told him, "A large oak tree fell across Dartmouth road... I'm stuck here" she said.

Danny nodded slowly, "okay... I'm going to go down to the basement, turn on the furnace" he said, she was a little surprised that he didn't even mention that she'd have to stay here for the night; Again.

She watched him leave, her phone casting enough light, but he knew his house, he almost didn't need a light.

she always likened Danny to a nocturnal, predatory animal, even when they were little, he seemed so comfortable in the dark, never afraid, he was her security blanket when they were little, checking for monsters under the bed when her parents weren't home.

She shivered again realizing she was alone, and thinking about him keeping the monsters at bay, she went to the one place in the house she always felt safe in.

...

Danny had found a flashlight and was walking up the steps slowly, the house was getting warm he hadn't seen her downstairs, but he didn't panic, he knew where she was.

Lacey was sitting on his bed, she was in the dark though, her phone was running low on power, and she didn't want to drain the battery.

The bedroom door opened and she looked over, Danny had the flashlight aimed at the floor, he walked in and shut the door, he went to his closet and started to go through some things.

She figured he was getting ready to get out of his wet clothes.

And then Danny approached her, he handed her a small stack of clothes, she looked up confused, "I figured you should have something to sleep in" he said with a small smile, she took the pieces of clothing from him and climbed off the bed.

She brushed past Danny who had no issues with personal space, and using her phone, walked to his bathroom, she closed the door and her heart was exploding, why? It was just Danny... she sighed and started to change.

Danny had stripped off his wet clothes somewhat fast, he wanted to hurry, he wanted to make sure he was in his sleep clothes before she got out, he grabbed his towel and dried his hair.

He had grabbed a pillow off the bed and had a blanket in hand just in time for her to be leaving his bathroom.

Lacey stopped and looked around, Danny had located a candle and the room was lit up in a soft glow, it made her feel warm and kind of safe, and then she saw him with the blanket and pillow.

He looked her over, in one of his t-shirts, and a pair of his gym shorts, he seemed to like what he saw, but shook it off before she caught him looking to long.

"I'm going to sleep in one of the guest rooms" Danny whispered.

Lacey had to admit she was a little surprised and disappointed, for some reason she thought he'd stay in the room with her, she started to nod her head and she wasn't sure if she actually saw Danny look dejected that she agreed with him.

"Good" he said with a nod before starting to walk to the bedroom door.

"You're going to leave me in here all alone?" she asked, she didn't see the small smile appear on his face, he turned around and looked confused, "its kind scary" she whispered.

Danny looked around, "I'll just be a door down" he pointed out.

"No... Just... you can sleep in here if you want" she whispered, why was he making her do this?

Danny approached her slowly, "Lacey… there are no monsters in this room" he had a bit of humor in his voice.

"I'm aware of that Danny… just stay" she wasn't going to plead with him, but she knew it was easy, he always seemed to ask for permission.

"Are you sure?" he asked as he dropped his pillow back on the bed.

She nodded, she would honestly feel safer with him anyway, she couldn't explain it, but she would.

Danny gave a small smile and pulled the covers back, he climbed in first, he fixed his pillow and rested on his back, and she hesitated, but figured but soon climbed into the bed after him.

he was on the right side, she was on the left, the bed was a full size, so they didn't have loads of room, but it was cozy, it smelled fresh and like him, just like his shirt did, she nestled into the bed faster than she thought she would, she was on her tummy, her head on the pillow, she was tired and this was okay.

and then Danny pressed himself against her back, he was practically on her, she stiffened, but wasn't horrified, she opened her eyes and he was leaning over her, "just getting the candle" he whispered, his lips close to her ear, she shivered and she wondered if he felt it.

She watched as he grabbed the candle from the night stand and blew it out, the room got dark, and he set it back before rolling back, onto his side.

She had felt this bit of excitement surge through her; she had to get that under control, although the thought of Danny "taking her" was a weird one that she had had both nightmares and dreams about.

"Good night Lacey" Danny said in a tired voice.

"Good night Danny" she replied, she glanced at the clock, it read that it was just after 12:30 am, she dozed off soon after.

5 hours later...

She could have said it was the hard rain and thunder that had woken her, but actually it was the warm body pressed firmly to her back, she had moved a bit during the night and had scooted back into him, or maybe he had pulled her back?

She wasn't really sure, but when she awoke his hand was flat on her tummy and their bodies were pressed together, his breath was hitting her neck and well, they were spooning.

She wasn't as terrified as she thought she'd be, she had woken wondering since when did Archie spoon? hell if they did anything he was gone right after, he never stayed the whole night, no pillow talk, even the few times they've gone that far.

So it was a weird sensation, she moved a little and his grip tightened, not hurting her, but more protective, she had her hand on top of his and was going to pull it away, but he wasn't having that.

so she rolled onto her back, his hand was lightly squeezing her hip now, her face was too close to his, it wasn't that she didn't want him like this, it was that she shouldn't.

he was a heavy sleeper, always had been, but there was one way to gently wake him, she recalled the last time, when they were 11; he'd fallen sleep on her bed as they watched a Disney movie, he needed to wake up, her dad didn't like him sleeping on her bed, so she used the tried and true method that always woke Danny Desai.

she smiled at the memory and reached and lightly scratched at his tummy, he stirred, it was the only spot on him that was ticklish, she did it again, and his hand slipped up and under the shirt, resting on her bare tummy, she gasped, his hand was warm and soft but goose bumps still formed.

And even though she liked his hand touching her like that, she knew they shouldn't, "Danny" she whispered, he grunted and nuzzled her neck, "Danny" she whispered again, she nudged him and this seemed to wake him up.

He was groggy and confused and it was dark, she was looking at him, he was still half asleep and he smiled, and the next thing she knew he had pressed his lips to hers.

She was in shock, but she didn't push him away, in fact her hand that was resting on his chest was now pulling at his shirt, it was a lazy soft kiss, and Lacey found herself okay with it, and she kissed him back after only a moment.

Her kissing him back, seemed to wake him fully, and he suddenly realized what they were doing, he pulled away and Lacey was a little surprised her had stopped, "I'm so sorry" he whispered.

She was looking back at his face, he looked mortified, he was mentally kicking himself for doing that, "I'm so sorry Lacey" he said it again; "I should go sleep in the other room" he went to roll out of bed.

"wait… it's okay" Lacey said, she was a little surprised that he'd reacted that way, she had rolled onto her side, facing him, her arm under her pillow, a small smile on her face.

Danny relaxed and laid back, he looked over at her, she placed her hand on his arm, "I thought I was dreaming" he murmured.

Lacey realized he had been dreaming about her, she blushed at the thought, they were silent, "you're a good kisser for someone who hasn't kissed anyone" she mentioned.

Danny smirked, "thanks… I could use more practice though" he said moving onto his side so he could face her.

Lacey blushed but ignored it, "it's sort of my fault, I didn't know your only ticklish spot wasn't that anymore" she said.

Danny was bewildered, and then Lacey realized he hadn't been tickled in so long, so she reached and scratched at his tummy, he jerked a little surprised, and reached down to gently pull her hand away.

"That um… doesn't tickle me anymore" the tone in his voice was serious.

"Well what does it do, Danny?" she asked, she quickly realized that sounded really not so innocent.

Danny got this devilish grin on his face, but he could tell she was embarrassed, so he dropped it.

But he was still giving her this look, their faces were too close and well she was feeling tempted.

"we should go back to sleep" Lacey quickly suggested, and she only just now realized he was still holding her hand, even thought she had pulled her hand back, his fingers were lightly holding hers and his thumb was rubbing the back of her hand.

"okay" was all he said, she pulled her hand away gently, and broke eye contact, she closed her eyes, and she wondered what he was doing, but she was afraid to open her eyes again.

8:00 am…

Her eyes opened to the soft sound of his alarm clock going off, she was her side again and panicked for a moment as she tried to remember where she was, she sat up and looked around, still in his room.

She looked over and he wasn't in the bed, it wasn't a school day, in fact she had to remind herself that it was Saturday morning.

She relaxed a little and laid back down, she breathed in and thought about what had happened, she felt calm, not on edge, not pressured by anything, Danny obviously wanted something, but was willing to wait.

What she wanted, she wasn't sure yet.

**Ugh… I hated the ending… at any rate, here you all go, another Dacey fic to tide you over till June.**

**Let me know what you think.**


End file.
